Erin Smith
Astoria, NY, United States
Erin Smith was diagnosed with celiac disease in the early 1980s, so she’s been eating gluten-free almost her entire life. Erin has a unique perspective of growing up in the gluten-free community and blogs about living — and enjoying — a gluten-free lifestyle.
Erin Smith has been writing her gluten-free lifestyle blog Gluten-Free Fun since 2007. In 2011, she launched Gluten-Free Globetrotter, a website that encourages those with celiac disease to travel the world and not be scared about eating gluten-free domestically and abroad. Erin is also the lead organizer of the NYC Celiac Disease Meetup group, a social community that has grown to over 1850 members in the 8 years she has been organizing the group.
http://glutenfreefun.blogspot.com
http://glutenfreeglobetrotter.comSee my complete profile

Tickets are still available for the 8th Annual Evening with the Paul Taylor Dance Company Celiac Benefit. This is one of my favorite fundraisers of the year. Please join us for a pre-performance gluten-free reception in the lovely David A. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.

NYC Celiac Meetupco-hosts the 8th Annual Evening with the Paul Taylor Dance Company at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at 7pm.The evening begins at 5:45pm with a gluten-free reception.The program: Kith and Kin (music by Mozart), Eventide (music by Vaughan Williams) and Cascade (music by Bach).

You may purchase good $29 seats with no additional fees through NYC Celiac Meetup; a portion of each ticket benefits the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University.

Other ticket options available: Tickets to this event at $310, $145, and $85 are available through the box office; a portion of each of those tickets benefits the Celiac Disease Center if you mention promo code CELIAC.

Don't delay. Meetup tickets are only available through March 1st.

I am beyond excited to announce that I am a finalist for the wegoHealth health activist award for "Best in Show: Community" for my work as the NYC Celiac Meetup group leader. My group has grown to over 1600 members since I started organizing events 8 years ago. This group has taught me so much and has been the support group I never had growing up with Celiac Disease. I've made great friends in this group, ate delicious gluten-free food, and have hopefully given back as much as the group has given me.

A great article just in time for Valentine's Day from the NFCA. I've included my own tips and experiences in red font below. Enjoy!

Sex and the Celiac: Dating Tips for the Gluten-Free
When you have celiac disease or another gluten-related disorder, dating can be fairly tricky. With so
much focus on restaurant outings, movie theater snacks and the post-date kiss, people with a glutenrelated disorder have a lot more to think about than just finding the perfect outfit.

With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) shares these 5 tips for navigating the dating scene while staying gluten-free.

Pick the restaurant yourself.
Suggest a few restaurants that you trust will serve safe gluten-free food. Do some research to find a few different options so your date can have a choice, too. If you’re not comfortable picking the place or bringing up your gluten-free diet on the first date, why not cook at home? You can always pack a picnic basket for lunch or dinner at a local park so you don’t have to bring up your diet right off the bat.

I have made suggestions of where to eat many times. You don't even have to go into the whole "I can't eat that" conversation with your date if you aren't ready to yet. You can simply order what you know is safe from a restaurant you are comfortable eating at based on previous experiences.

Be prepared to quickly and simply explain your gluten-free diet.
You shouldn’t be embarrassed by your gluten-free diet (yes, this even applies to the men out there). If
your date involves food, you can quickly explain that you can’t eat gluten for medical reasons and if you do, you’ll become very sick. Don’t feel pressured to give all the details on the first date, and focus on what you can eat. For example: “I can’t split the cake with you, but this place makes fantastic
homemade ice cream. How about we each order a scoop?”

I have to admit, I don't usually like talking about Celiac or being gluten-free on the first date. This is why I choose restaurants that I know are safe and where the staff already knows me. I've also impressed first dates by chatting it up with the manager and chef. :-)

Skip the food.
Who says a first date has to be all about food? You can go on a hike, head to a museum or show off
your ice skating skills at the nearest rink. This way, you don’t have to worry about finding safe options
on the first date and can just have fun and enjoy the company.

I've done this too. Suggest meeting for coffee or going for a walk or a bike ride. This way you don't have to deal with the added stress of eating on a date with someone you don't know. First dates are already stressful enough!

Be mindful of that kiss.
Use your discretion when it comes time to lean in. Did your date just finish a bowl of pasta? It’s a good
idea to hold off, at least until your date can find his or her way to a toothbrush. If you both shared a day
of gluten-free meals, then you should be all clear for that smooch.

While I don't usually think about this when going on a date with someone that just ate gluten, I have asked a date that just ate shellfish to go brush his teeth and wash his face after eating a shrimp salad. Perhaps I should be more careful!

Relax!
Your mind can do incredible things – including make yourself sick from worry. So relax, have a good
time and plan ahead so you can enjoy the moment!

The event will start promptly at 7pm and includes appetizers, rodizio dinner, as well as raffles and auction items. All menu items are naturally gluten-free!

The Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation has made great strides in this past year, expanding our one of a kind Celiac Disease college scholarship award, which has again drawn over 300applicants nationally. We hope to continuously raise money to expand this scholarshipfund as well as develop our other programs, our foundation, and continuously developfundraisers that will raise Celiac Disease education and awareness.

Please make checks payable to Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation, pay by credit card, or pay online atwww.kicking4celiac.orgdirectly on the donate page. Include the event you are donating to in the“Add Special Instructions” box, if using this option. For tax-exempt purposes, the Kicking 4 CeliacFoundation is an IRS recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

If you are in the New York City area, I encourage you to join the NYC Celiac Meetup group. I have been leading this group for almost 8 years and we have grown to over 1600 members. Membership is free to join Here is our February newsletter.

Happy February everyone.

You asked for it and now our calendar is now jam packed with lots of gluten-free events. I hope to see you at some of these upcoming events. Some events are full, but feel free to put your name on the waiting list to see if a spot opens up.

Considerable focus is given to the medical and nutritional aspects of gluten-free living but many emotional challenges are also encountered. For example, people often want to share how celiac disease or gluten-intolerance has affected his or her social life, dating, desire for traveling or willingness to negotiate eating out in non GF restaurants. Or, how maintaining a GF diet has affected your family, friends and other important relationships. Others might want to explore what a reasonable level of precaution is when attempting to adhere to a GF diet? Join our conversation with Curtis Brown, LCSW, a psychoanalyst/psychotherapist diagnosed with celiac disease who maintains a gluten-free diet.

NYC Celiac Meetup co-hosts the 8th Annual Evening with the Paul Taylor Dance Company at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at 7pm. The evening begins at 5:45pm with a gluten-free reception. The program: Kith and Kin (music by Mozart), Eventide (music by Vaughan Williams) and Cascade (music by Bach).

You may purchase good $29 seats with no additional fees through NYC Celiac Meetup; a portion of each ticket benefits the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University.

To purchase, phone Alan Olshan at: 646-214-5821 with a credit card, or mail a check to him by February 14, 2013 once you’ve reserved by phone. There areno refunds or exchanges on these tickets.

Looking for Meetup hosts:

In order to keep this group fun and exciting, I could really use your help. Many of you have expressed interest in planning and hosting events but unfortunately only a very small handful have stepped up and actually planned anything. Please respond to this email if you are interested in hosting an event. I will be happy to help you make the connections for events, but I need help hosting. I can't be everywhere at once!